There's two events this week being organised by the Save Pomona campaign, aimed at highlighting the plight of Pomona, the urban green space and former docks across the Canal from Ordsall that Peel Holdings wants to build two block of flats upon. Pomona Day on Thursday and Pomona Festival on Saturday will draw more attention to the 150 flora species and rare birds that have been spotted at the site.

There is a growing public campaign to Save Pomona from the grasp of developer Peel Holdings which wants to concrete over the urban green space and former docks to build ten and eleven storey blocks of 164 flats.

The site is officially in Trafford but is just across the Manchester Ship Canal from Ordsall in Salford and many local people are getting involved in the fight to oppose Peel Holdings' scheme, with the date for objecting to the developer's plans now extended by Trafford Council until 13th August.

In the planning application to Trafford Council, Peel states that Pomona is "derelict brownfield land" but campaigners are out to prove that it's a green paradise, with 150 flora species recorded on the site, including 33 that are on the Site of Biological Importance Flora List (see here). Meanwhile, birds ranging from the protected Black Headed Gull to the Kingfisher, Sand Martin and Whitethroat have been spotted.

Campaigners are now trying to have the area recognized as a SBI (Special Biological Importance) site, with people being encouraged to report any wildlife sightings they feel are important athttp://gmwildlife.org.uk/wildlife/records/

To underline the cause, there are two events this week. Thursday 13th August is Pomona Day, traditionally a day to celebrate Pomona, the Roman Goddess of Fruit, Agriculture and Abundance. To mark the occasion, the Manchester Ship Canal World Heritage Group is hosting an all-day wildlife recording session at Pomona from 11am. On Saturday, 15th August, the Save Pomona campaign is holding a Pomona Festival at the site with details to be announced nearer the time.

The campaign is aimed at persuading Trafford Council to block Peel Holdings application in favour of creating a `green lung' at the heart of the `regional centre' where Salford, Trafford and Manchester meet.

"Not only is Pomona historically and ecologically important but the site has actually demonstrated incredibly successful examples of the kind of uses we want to see for its future" says Hayley Flynn, City Curator of Manchester for National Trust, and a fervent advocate of the site "In Victorian Manchester the site was botanical gardens and tourist attractions. If we once had aspirations for the site such as this, why can't we be as ambitious with it now?"

James Walsh, of the Manchester Ship Canal World Heritage group, who has been tracking the both the area's industrial history and its wildlife and flora, explains: "There is very little on The Quays to even illustrate to people that it used to be a working docks where 5,000 men worked very, very hard. Many people visit Salford Quays and don't even know about the history of the site, and that needs to change."

And campaign member Ash van Dyck adds: "We are asking for sufficient time for public consultation, we want to look at what may be possible with this large and one off space and ask that there be nothing done yet. We want to consult with ecologists, landscape architects, wildlife and water experts, land management and clean energy professionals and lift every stone in an attempt to make the best use of Pomona for now and the future."

• Main photo shows a snap from a Salford Star article about Pomona `Ordsall Beach' starring Nigel Pivaro from issue 8 (page 31) of the printed magazine – for the PDF click here

Rec Cordsheetice wroteat 16:02:35 on 11 August 2015

I'm all for saving Pomona from being the foundations of yet another block of flats. I also agree that it should have something more fitting, such as another Eden Project developed there.
As for climate change nonsense, please, don't quote anymore of that claptrap. Its nothing more than the Worlds biggest Ponzi scheme, making likes of Gore et al rich.

Michael F in Salford wroteat 17:19:07 on 10 August 2015

Hi James - good reasoning. Salford is lucky to have the waterway locks system, safeguarding us against flood during climate change. However, we should not stop taking steps to safeguard heritage. There is opportunity for Salford City College to take over the land at a peppercorn, building a World Class Eden project to train young environmentalists for important jobs across the globe that will help us humans Save the World.

James Walsh wroteat 11:33:03 on 10 August 2015

Many thanks to the Salford Star for this article, the Manchester Ship Canal World Heritage Group is working towards the Save Pomona campaign being a turning point in the way that business is conducted in the Manchester area, and the North, there must be a way forward where business and nature can co-exist, check out the newly launched #Team4Nature, we simply have to start caring for the environment, Peel has business interests in areas that are likely to be under water if we don't start sorting the issue of climate change, Peel have a huge responsibility to their shareholders and to the people to start doing business in a scientifically sound manner, especially as Manchester is the European City of Science #GreenBritannia #GreenRevolution